Connecticut western news., 1887-03-09
A School Teachers Story.

A OO4OO1 AOCtOAO1 ID NIV1 .ys
 In the winter of 1S74-5 was teaching Q country school in Ohio, not far from the village of Medina. I was girl oniv 17 years old, and weighed less than 100 pounds, and those who knew mo would have laughed at the ldea of my having any presence of mind in tho face Of danger.
 1twas a walk of mile to the farm- house where I was boarding, and in stormy weather was conveyed to and fro in the sleigh. It was clearly under | stood that should it come on to sncw and buster during the day the farmer was to come for me at the close of school. In ordinary weather the walk was one to be enjoyed. Just after noon on the 18th day of January it began to snow and blow in the most furious manner, while the temperature fell 20" inside of two hours. We had snug brick schoolhousc, large pile of dry wood, and no one knew how cold 1t was until school was dismissel for the day. Then there were many complaints from the scholars, but all finally got away and I was left alone to wait for the farmers sleigh, which had every reason to be- Eeve would soon be at the door. It was almost dark at 4 o'clock, and got my things on and sat down by the stove and waited threc- quarters of an hour before beginning to wonder why Farmer Wat kins did not driveup. We had a couple of lamps, and lighted one and began work on an intricate mathematical prob lem. Time slipped fast away, and when got up it was half-past 5. l then felt that some accident hal happened my friends and they would not come for me, and decided to foot it home. I had not left the schoolhouse a hundred
 feet behind when l realized that must
 return to it. The win1 was blowing at
 the rate of fifty miles an hour and di-
 rectly in my face, while the air was so
 full of snow that one could not see six
 feet away. That night the thermometer
 registered 17 degrees below Zero, and
 much live stock froze to death.
 It was bit lonesome when l re-
 turned to the schoolh~use and let my
 self in and felt the little structure tremb-
 ling under the rising gale, but I re-
 lighted the lamps, brought in lot of
 wood from the store-room, and found
 enough of my monday meal left in the basket to take the edge of my hunger off. I had no idea of being obliged to pass the night there, but confidently ex. pected to be called for at any moment.
 It had come to be o'clock, and I wa:
 getting very nervous, when the outside d DOT opened and heard step in the hall. Jumped up to close the stove
 and turn out the lights, but before had accomplished the latter object the door to the schoolroom was opened and in walked a total stranger. He was
 covered with snow, and his cap wa: drawn down until most of his face wa. !, hidden. He did not seem to even glance :, at me, but advanced to the stove, shook
 off the snow, pulled off cap and over coat, and then held out his hands to thu warmth. was what you might justly
 term dumfounded. There was no fea
 of him, Lut his unexpected advent ant . the cool manner in which he acted quit
 took my breath away for couple o V minutes. However, I finally found
 voice to inquire:
 7. "D.d Uncle Bill send you for met" a He looked me in the eyes for a few v seconds, and then walked through t
 the outer door, locked it, came back t 7 the inner door and lrcked that, and a
 he slipped the keyes into his pocket, h said;
 . "This is going to be bitter col ', night"
 >, X faintness came over me as he spoke and I had to sit down. We were on th < opposite sides of tho stove, and l sa '. that he was a man of about 80, mediul height, slight build, and respectao :. appearance. There was nothing ab , ,e him of the tramp or tough, and his voit IT was pleasant one. I was certain ha }, never seen him before, and also fe 10 from the first that there was somethin ,e wrong in his coming the way he die ,a A bclated or storm bound travell ID would have been full of remarks an l. questions, and he would not have locke -s the doors on us. looked him over lil ,v one in dream. l felt great faintne or and great fear, and yet l could n '. help lut watch him. He did not rerul ,x my gaze. Now and then his eyes m |. mine, but for the most part he was loo
 ing carelesslY around the room or at |